2019 Nova Scotia Solar Summit Speakers
Terry Thibodeau
Terry has worked over the years predominantly in the field of renewable energy development, economic development and business counselling. As the Coordinator for Renewable Energy and Climate Change for the Municipality of Digby, Terry works on myriad of renewable energy projects from promoting smart grid opportunities and the introduction of electrical vehicles to implementing energy efficiency programs |
Kim MacLaren
Kim is currently managing Electriity Human Resource Canada’s Competency Framework and National Occupational Standards project, overseeing the identification and development of skills and knowledge requirements of workers within the electricity and renewable energy sector. As a component of this project, she is leading the development of Occupational Standards, Essential Skills Profiles and Physical Demands Assessments for various solar occupations, including: Solar PV Installer, Solar Thermal Installer and Small Solar System Designer. |
Lyle Goldberg
Lyle currently serves as CanSIA’s Policy and Regulatory Affairs Manager for Nova Scotia. This role aims to grow the solar market in Nova Scotia by collaborating with the solar industry, the three orders of government, local utilities, regulatory agencies and other key stakeholders. Since starting the role in 2018, Lyle has prepared on behalf of CanSIA a number of submissions to the Provincial Government with respect to setting 2030 GHG and renewable energy targets, advocating on the importance of maintaining the Enhanced Net Metering Program, and developing a Nova Scotia Solar Roadmap to unlock the province’s solar potential. In August 2019, Lyle completed the Climate Reality Leadership Corps training program under the guidance of former US Vice-President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore. During this three-day session, participants were trained on climate science, solutions to solve the crisis, and communication techniques to rally Canadians behind those solutions. |
Jonathan Frank
Jon is a member of the corporate management committee and leads the company’s clean energy project investment strategy, business development, and project finance activities. Jon has been involved in a wide range of clean energy technologies across Canada including solar energy, energy efficiency retrofits, geothermal heating, and cooling, renewable natural gas, microgrids and energy storage. Over his career, Jon has worked at companies like SunEdison and RESCo, has consulted with industry-leading real estate companies and is one of the founding executives of Emerging Leaders for Solar Energy and has served as Co-Chair of the National Board of Directors leading initiatives including a charity solar project in Nepal and Canada’s first national mentorship program for renewable energy professionals. He is also the 2015 recipient of the Canadian Solar Industries Association’s “GameChanger” Award for Emerging Solar Leader. |
Christie Chaplin Saunders
Christie Chaplin Saunders holds a Masters in Business Administration from St. Mary’s University. Christie is currently Project Manager and Strategic Planner for Solar Nova Scotia, leading Solar Nova Scotia’s public education initiative “Discover Solar PV” which has educated hundreds of Nova Scotians on residential photovoltaic opportunities. Christie was also a key contributor to Solar Nova Scotia’s recently completed Atlantic Solar Industry Study, a three part report on the state of the solar industry in Atlantic Canada. Christie is a business management consultant, lifelong entrepreneur and small business owner who is passionate about sustainable energy development. |
Murray McIntyre
Murray has been in the Building Technologies field with Siemens Canada for 28 years and brings a wealth of experience in the energy performance contracting field. He has participated in several energy performance contracts in Ontario and Atlantic Canada. Recently the Siemens team has completed a distributed energy project with 4MW of on site generation, 1MW of solar PV and 1MW of battery storage all controlled by a sophisticated Microgrid system for a post secondary client. Murray is proud to represent Siemens Canada and the local branch team located in the Dartmouth office. |
Shawn MacAulay
Shawn MacAulay is a Red Seal Electrician, with 25 years experience in industrial, process and construction environments. He owns and operates SunLight Electric, installing and designing solar PV systems in southwest Nova Scotia. Shawn is Faculty at NSCC (Nova Scotia Community College). This role includes designing and delivering Electrical Construction, Industrial Process Control, and other curriculum, including the NS Dept of Energy’s Solar Installer programming. |
Kevin Boutillier
Kevin Boutilier is the Clean Energy Specialist with the Halifax Regional Municipality. After receiving a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 2013, Kevin began working in the renewable energy industry, gaining knowledge of solar energy system design, feasibility, installation and operation. In his current position as Clean Energy Specialist, Kevin is responsible for the successful delivery of the Solar City. In addition, Kevin is leading the development of a new municipal wide electric vehicle and charging infrastructure strategy and is supporting the development of HalifACT2050, the municipality’s new climate action plan with a view out to 2050. Kevin uses his experience and passion of clean energy to educate and lead the community in reducing their carbon footprint. |
Peter L'Esperance
Peter is the founder of Solar Schools Canada (SSC). SSC is a charity using a philanthropy-based model to develop and fund school-based renewable energy projects. SSC also works to create curriculum-aligned educational resources that leverage school-based solar projects to lead students in exploring STEAM, environment, energy and sustainability subject matter. Outside Peter’s work with SSC, he works as a lawyer with McInnes Cooper practicing in the areas of renewable energy project finance and the law for charities, non-profits and social enterprise. For more information, please visit www.ssc-esc.ca or www.mcinnescooper.co |
Greg Goubko
Greg is the Energy Finance and Development Coordinator for the Town of Bridgewater. He was a core team member in the development of the Town’s Energy Poverty Reduction Program, which in May was announced as the winner of Infrastructure Canada’s $5 million Smart Cities Challenge competition. His focus is on developing a capitalization system which recycles investment-returns and energy savings back into the local economy as part of the Town’s clean energy transition. In his spare time, you can catch him walking 2 lovely doggos, reading fiction at a coffee shop, or bouncing to live music with his partner. |
Bryan Ellis
Bryan is a graduate student in the Renewable Energy Storage Lab (RESL) at Dalhousie University, working under the direction of Dr. Lukas Swan. After completing a biology degree at Saint Mary’s University, he enrolled in engineering at Dalhousie University where he developed a strong interest in renewable energy. He joined RESL as a research student in the summer of 2016 after receiving a NSERC USRA grant, and continues his current research there focusing on solar PV production in Nova Scotia and the optimization of energy storage. |
Sarah Riley
Co-Founder of the female-founded and led sustainability agency, R&G Strategic, Sarah Riley (or “Riley” as friends call her) is a communications and business strategist with over a decade of experience spanning Toronto and Halifax at the intersection of startup culture, brand and product development and creative supply. She was an early mover in eco-communications, shifting her focus exclusively to help businesses tell their sustainability story. Today she supporting marketing, education and awareness efforts for the clean economy, works with NGOs like Efficiency Nova Scotia, Clean Foundation and Efficiency Canada along with countless cleantech startups, and gives companies the tools express their progress toward building a better world. Helping organizations make connections and shift attitudes to drive the eco-growth for a happy planet is her number one passion. In addition to working with clients at R&G, Sarah is currently completing her Certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at the University of St. Michael's College in Toronto. And when not trying to make the planet better — she can be found outdoors enjoying it, running in the great outdoors with her standard poodle, Vlad. |
Wayne Groszko, Ph.D., B.Sc.
Applied Energy Research Scientist Nova Scotia Community College Wayne Groszko, is a researcher, teacher, consultant, and speaker in energy sustainability with 13 years of experience, currently with NSCC Applied Research. He is lead author of Solar Nova Scotia's reports on the solar energy industry from 2018. Wayne has also completed research work for the Province of Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Power, the Community Energy Co-operative of New Brunswick, and the Ecology Action Centre, and is an Adjunct Professor at Dalhousie University. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Hon.) from the University of Calgary, and a Ph.D. from Dalhousie University. |
Jill Searle, M.A.Sc., P.Eng., Smart Grid Program Manager, Nova Scotia Power
Jill is the Program Manager of Smart Grid for Nova Scotia Power Corporation where she is responsible for the development and execution of a grid modernization strategy, including leading and managing Nova Scotia Power’s Smart Grid initiatives. Jill has also worked as a Team Lead in transmission and distribution capital management and a member of the Emergency Operations Centre at NS Power. Prior to joining Nova Scotia Power in 2013, Jill worked as a Program Manager for the Department of National Defence on their Environmental Management portfolio. Additionally, she has several years of experience in the private sector as an engineering consultant and project manager. Jill has a Masters of Applied Science from Dalhousie University, a BSC in Engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia and a BSC from Acadia University. She is a registered professional engineer in the province of Nova Scotia. |
Edgar López
Sustainability Engineer, East Port Properties Edgar is a graduate of Memorial University in Electrical Engineering and member of Engineers Nova Scotia. During the last 12 years, Edgar has worked in various industries including offshore oil & gas, electric utilities, building sciences, but primarily energy management. He is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM), and a LEED AP with speciality in Operations and Maintenance (O+M). Edgar joined East Port Properties in 2015 where he works with the operations team to optimize and report on energy and water consumption, prepare utility budgets, as well as identifying and assessing energy reduction opportunities for existing properties and new developments in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and New Brunswick |
Wesley Johnston
President & CEO, CanSIA Wes provides leadership for strategic initiatives, business strategy and operations at CanSIA. Wes has developed significant expertise in solar energy markets, policy development and regulatory affairs and strong relationships with industry, stakeholders and all levels of government since joining CanSIA in 2007. Wes holds a BBA, (University of PEI), MAES (University of Waterloo) and MBA (Queen’s University). Wes is an avid golfer who tries to spend at least a couple of weeks per year on the fairways of his native Prince Edward Island. |
Timothy DenHerder-Thomas
Timothy is the co-founder and General Manager of Cooperative Energy Futures, an energy efficiency and community-owned clean energy cooperative serving members across Minnesota since 2009. CEF equips members across the state to build socially just climate solutions that grow community wealth and power. CEF has financed and developed 6.9MW of low-income, accessible community solar that is cooperatively owned and operated across urban, suburban and rural Minnesota, offsetting the utility bills of over 700 Minnesota households for the next 25 years. Timothy also helped build local control over energy decision-making in Minneapolis through the Minneapolis Clean Energy Partnership, as a member of the partnership’s Energy Vision Advisory Committee and supports energy democracy nationally through the People’s Solar Energy Fund and the PowerShift Network. |
Aaron Long
For the past 5 years, Aaron has focused his attention on strengthening and creating new revenue sources for Nova Scotia municipalities in the context of the transition to clean energy systems. Municipal ownership of risk appropriate cleantech projects also enables least cost renewable energy to end-users. Aaron enjoys his many interactions with stakeholders necessary to achieve these dual objectives, most importantly, electric utility customers. Aaron worked in various capacities on the development and operations of the 99MW West Cape Wind Farm, 99MW Caribou Mountain Wind Farm and the 102MW South Canoe Wind Farm. His favourite engagement is with the 23.5MW Ellershouse Wind Farm, the latter owned entirely by the small towns of Antigonish, Mahone Bay and Berwick, which supplies over 40% of its owner towns' annual energy requirements. Aaron is also currently helping these municipal electric utilities prepare for the future. |
Roby Douglas
Roby is the Vice President - Operations at Natural Forces Solar, a Halifax-based Project Development, Engineering, Procurement & Construction Management firm that is providing a comprehensive suite of professional services to Municipalities, Not for Profit organizations, Schools, and First Nations communities across Canada. We take a long-lens approach to solar energy projects, working collaboratively with our clients from project inception through to final commissioning. Roby was also a key contributor to Solar Schools Canada’s recently completed “Going Solar” guidebook, which provides a pathway for schools across the country to develop solar energy projects and leverage the educational benefits of solar. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from Queens University and a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from Schulich School of Business. In his spare time, you can find Roby out on Halifax Harbour coaching a group of youth sailors who are training for the opportunity to represent the Maritimes at international regattas. |
Joanna Burris
Joanna works as the Sustainability Planner for the Municipality of the County of Colchester, where she leads emission-reduction projects and administers Solar Colchester, a municipal solar panel financing program offered to homeowners and non-profit institutions in Colchester. Joanna is also the lead staff person for Colchester’s progression in FCM's Partners for Climate Protection program. A recent graduate of Dalhousie University, Joanna completed a double major in Community Design and Sustainability. |
Sheena Parris
Sheena Parris leverages her experience working in municipal government, non-profits, and research institutions to help communities in Nova Scotia achieve their sustainable energy goals. Currently, her portfolio includes electricity sector policy and programs, equity engagement, and community energy pilots. Since 2017, Sheena has administered the Solar Electricity for Community Buildings pilot program, developed local industry training, and advised on several community-scale solar public education and research projects. Sheena holds a BA with Combined Honours in Environmental Studies and International Development from Dalhousie University and holds a certification in Environmental Impact Assessment. |
Page is updated as speakers are confirmed. Check back regularly for updates!